Comitán to Copainalá Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 12 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Comitán to Copainalá is 133 miles (214 km), about 3 h 9 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Chiapas — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Chiapas is the Mexican state that contains Copainalá. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Casa Na BolomSelva El OcoteChiapa de CorzoLa Pila fountainPlanetario Tuxtla - Jaime Sabines GutiérrezSumidero Canyon National ParkMuseo de la CiudadSumidero CanyonComitánCopainalá
Route from Comitán to Copainalá with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Total distance133 mi (214 km)
Drive time without stops3 h 9 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190 → MEX-190D
Mexican states on the routeChiapas
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-190D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 5.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

The Comitán–Copainalá drive in a few lines

MEX-190 (75 mi) and MEX-190D (34 mi) carry about 82% of the 133 miles. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-190D. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Roads you'll take from Comitán to Copainalá

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
MEX-1900–5454Chiapas
MEX-190D54–8834Chiapas
local roads88–968Chiapas
MEX-19096–11721Chiapas
local roads117–13316Chiapas

Places worth a stop between Comitán and Copainalá

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Planetario Tuxtla - Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez (mile 91)
  • Nature and outdoors: Selva El Ocote (mile 76), Sumidero Canyon National Park (mile 91), Sumidero Canyon (mile 110)
  • Museums and history: Casa Na Bolom (mile 54), Chiapa de Corzo (mile 83), La Pila fountain (mile 83), Planetario Tuxtla - Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez (mile 91), Museo de la Ciudad (mile 94)

Casa Na Bolom

Mile 54 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

Once the home of archaeologist Frans Blom and photographer Gertrude Duby Blom, Casa Na Bolom in San Cristóbal de las Casas occupies an 1891 building and shows pre-Hispanic, textile, ethnographic and colonial collections.

Selva El Ocote

Mile 76 · Biosphere reserve · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve covers about 101,288 hectares of Chiapas, protecting tall evergreen rain forest on karst terrain, a landscape also known for its extensive caverns.

Chiapa de Corzo

Mile 83 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Near the town of Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas lies a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the same name that grew into a regional center around 700–500 BCE, during the Middle Formative period.

La Pila fountain

Mile 83 · Monument · 2 mi from the route

Built of brick in a diamond shape in 1562, La Pila fountain in the square of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, is an example of Mudéjar-Renaissance style.

Planetario Tuxtla - Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez

Mile 91 · Museum · 0.6 mi from the route

Planetario Tuxtla - Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez is a planetarium in Tuxtla equipped with 2D and 3D image projection technology.

Sumidero Canyon National Park

Mile 91 · National park · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Grijalva River runs through Sumidero Canyon, whose walls rise from about 200 to 1,000 meters. Boat trips leave from colonial Chiapa de Corzo, and lookouts line the rim. It became a national park in 1980.

Museo de la Ciudad

Mile 94 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

Tuxtla Gutiérrez's city museum covers the history and growth of the city with three permanent exhibits and a temporary gallery, in a building whose site once briefly served as a bullring.

Sumidero Canyon

Mile 110 · Canyon · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Just north of Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas, Sumidero Canyon is a deep natural canyon cut by a crack in the crust and erosion by the Grijalva River, which still flows through it.

More drives to Copainalá

From Comitán to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Comitán to Copainalá?

About 3 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 133 miles.

How far is Copainalá from Comitán by car?

About 133 miles (214 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Comitán to Copainalá?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Comitán to Copainalá?

The U.S. State Department rates Chiapas Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

Which highways go from Comitán to Copainalá?

In order: MEX-190 and MEX-190D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Comitán and Copainalá?

Closest to the road: Casa Na Bolom (museum, mile 54, 1 mi from the route); Planetario Tuxtla - Jaime Sabines Gutiérrez (museum, mile 91, 0.6 mi from the route); Museo de la Ciudad (museum, mile 94, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.